Kala Elite USA and Martin OX

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Looking for reviews/advice on two ukes which I am considering buying.

I'm considering buying a Kala Elite USA soprano or a Martin OX soprano.

I'm especially curious to hear about the following features. Not looking to just hear which is better as much as general comments on one or both of these ukes!

1) action height and general playability

2) weight

3) overall sound
 
I have the Kala Elite soprano in satin finish. I haven't played a Martin but the Kala is everything I want in a uke - I've had it a few months and not even window shopped other instruments, which is extremely rare for me!

Onto your questions...

1) Absolutely spot on for me in terms of action but I got it second hand from Kevs-the-name here and he builds ukes so i don't know if he adjusted it or not. Action photos (apologies, taken on my phone):
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The general playability has been the thing I like most about it - it's extremely comfortable to play. It has a shallower body than the mass produced sopranos (pic in comparison with a Tanglewood below) and the neck profile is just right for me. After an hour with the Tanglewood my fretting hand hurts, I can play pretty effortlessly on the Kala (maybe that's placebo given the price difference though!). That shallower body is very comfy though.

20170712_135635.jpg

2) Very light, well balanced - not neck heavy. It's very thin koa.

3) So subjective this one! I love the sound, it's really loud, louder than my concerts. The huge plus for me is that the C string doesn't boom and drown the other strings like it does on the cheaper uke (which I tuned to D in the end as it annoyed me too much). Great note separation, sounds like a good koa soprano uke! Cuts through in amongst guitars with no difficulty. Don't have a mic to do a sound sample but The Ukulele Site have them so you can check their vids.

20170712_135600.jpg

Hope that helps!
 
If I buy another Uke ( in this case, a Soprano) without playing it first, it will most likely be an Elite. My KA-ASAC is the most playable for me of my Soprano's. Fm comes to mind.
Just wish it could/would come with Pegheads.
Cheers,
R
 
I have the Martin 0XK and LOVE IT!

It is very responsive to DYNAMICS, as in if you play softly, it has a sweet tone, and if you really drive the strings with some hard strumming it has some bark and bite, as well as great sustain in any level of volume.

Out of the box I'm not sure since I got my used, but the seller said that no setup work was done or needed, and my unit has great action and very good intonation, only rivaled by my Fluke and Flea ukes.

One point of interest is that the saddle is compensated in a way that uniquely takes advantage of the Martin M600 strings to provide better intonation. The Martin strings have a 0.034" fluoro C string, which is thicker diameter than nearly every other of the more than 100 sets of strings I've tried. The saddle on the 0XK has the C string angled TOWARDS the nut, whereas on most other ukes with pre-compensated saddles, the C string is angled AWAY from the nut.

I have tried other strings on this instrument, Worths CL, CM, BL, BM, Fremont Blacklines, and Oasis both 'brite' and 'warm' high-G and all had intonation problems on the C string, so since I was not interested in changing the saddle right now, AND since the Martin strings are usually my preferred, I have been using the M600s now thru 2 string changes after the stock ones wore out.

I also tried Aquila New Nylgut, as well as SuperNylgut and was not happy with them at all on this intrument.

The weight is pretty light to me (I am usually a tenor player), and I always use a strap, even on this uke. I also changed out the original friction tuners (which all friction tuners are an anathema to me) to the Gotoh UPT-L planetary geared tuners and am very happy with the balance and weight, which is to say, that I dont think about it, but if you do not want to use a strap, your feelings might differ...

If you change to the Gotoh, you will need the UPT-L and NOT the 'plain' UPT model, the 'L' stands for 'LONG SHAFT'. The 'plain' UPT model will not fit on the thickness of the headstock.

Even though this instrument is made of a formica-like material, it sounds as good or better than some of my other ukes, and has quenched my UAS for a good soprano.

Budget permitting, I'd buy a second one, maybe in the bamboo 'natural' color, and on that one change the saddle since I'd want to use it for GDAE (mandolin) fifths tuning, and with these strings, you have 2 wounds and compensation is different when compared to all non-wound strings, otherwise the intonation is all over the place from string-to-string...

Hope this helps! :)
 
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I also have the OXK. It is one of my most-played ukes, especially this time of year in high humidty and heat. It always sounds great and is the most "playable" of all my ukes. I bought it from Musician's Friend, and all they did was add their box around the untouched Martin factory box.

Only quibble - apparently I am slightly sensitive/allergic to the Stratobond neck as it irritates the side of my thumb on my fretting hand. At the suggestion of others, I use fine grit sandpaper and 000 steel wool to smooth out the ribbing of the laminate.
 
While those are both excellent Ukes, I feel compelled to point out that for the price of the Kala Elite you could easily score a vintage Martin (either a style 0 or a style 1). In fact, I believe there's a very nice 20's style 0 in the Marketplace right now that's located in Brooklyn.


Scooter
 
I think you are comparing the equivalent of a luxury car with an econo-box. The Kala Elite's are excellent and punch above their weight in term of cost in my opinion.

1) Action can be adjusted. More important to playability since it cannot be adjusted, is fretboard width. The Kala has a wider fretboard. Some people strongly prefer this, some people don't like it and some are indifferent.

2) No idea on weight. Differences should be negligible. I'm curious why this matters to you?

3) The Kala Elite's I've played have all been extremely nice in tone. I owned several Martins (both new and vintage) but never a OX. But given what I know about it, I would be shocked if in general it compared favorably. There maybe specific instruments that do, but as a general rule, I would think not. But this is conjecture so take it with a grain of salt.
 
ive played both, I would go with the martin if I had to pick one
 
I don't know about the Kala Elite USA but during the Summer I keep my OXK cased in the closet so my other ukes have a chance to get played.
 
You're getting a lot of advice from people who've only played the Martin. I think you're going to have to play them both yourself. I'm sure you'd be happy with the Martin, but the Kala Elite sopranos are something of an unknown. They could be fantastic! And they are solid wood I assume.
 
Curious, how did you come up with these two?
Really different... everything, including price.
The Martin laminate will be more impervious to climate changes and thus be more care-free, but I have to think the Kala Elite's solid koa will offer tons more tonally.

I continue to watch for the right deal on a Kala Elite. I've heard a couple amazing soundbites on HMS, the wide neck looks yummy for larger hands and fingerstyle, and I like the looks - on the ones that are properly book-matched (I think Kala goofed on the wood sets of some of these instruments).
And on the other end, I have put many ukes into the hands of wannabe players, and I find Kala's cheaper ukes the best for the buck, over and over.
Note that some Kala Elites have been sitting for so long, dealers are starting to shake them loose at reduced prices. There are deals out there...
 
I found the Kala Elites to be a bit of hit or miss on sound quality with the ones I tried on my recent vacation on the Big Island. I didn't spend a lot of time with them since I was focused on finding Hawaiian built ukuleles. I would check return policies or make sure you can hear sound samples prior to purchase if you can't try them in person.
 
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